


Just

by weaselett



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-08-10 00:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7822789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weaselett/pseuds/weaselett
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney is good at science, relationships, not so much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just

**Author's Note:**

  * For [speakingwosound (sev313)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sev313/gifts).



> Background mention of Rodney McKay/Katie Brown.

It is just sex. 

It is totally just sex. 

A release of all the energy that builds up between them in the stressful situations they deal with on an almost daily basis. 

It is just sex. The fact that it is the only sex he has had since coming to Atlantis is beside the point. 

It is just sex, and it is almost the only time he can stand to be in the same room with Zelenka without the urge to throw things. The man is not only frustrating, but also has a tendency to mess up and he's always throwing insults. 

There is no sleeping in the same bed, beside the odd post sex nap, and there is absolutely no cuddling. 

It's just an easy release of tension. If Rodney had, even once, in the last few months, had the time to commit to an actual, more than sex relationship, it would be not be with Zelenka. They have like, zero in common, outside of science and even then it's more of a venn diagram of overlaps than an actual commonality. 

So, in conclusion, it is just sex. 

-

There's Katie, and sex with extras on the horizon, so no more Zelenka sex. 

Of course, he hasn't told Zelenka that yet, because the date hasn't happened yet. He doesn't need two things to be nervous about, and anyway, it's not like him and Zelenka actually talk about this stuff. 

Mainly it's just lots of arguing during mission based hi-jinks, then sex when they don't die. 

Once he's sure that Katie is going to work out, because God knows he's never been good at the dating thing, and they both have a tendency to babble, and he doesn't know much about plants. Plants seem important, to Katie, but he's never been that into plants, but she isn't massively into physics, so totally fine. 

He has never been this nervous.

Okay maybe with Carter, but he's aiming for nice this time. Katie isn't competition. 

Which, no brain, he really didn't need to think about the comparisons between Sam and Zelenka. 

Sam is totally better than Zelenka, only he's never even had just sex with Sam. 

His life is totally a mess.

-

The Pegasus Galaxy has it in for him. That is the only explanation. 

The dates had not, well the second was better than the first. He is never talking about the first again, ever. Heightmeyer can just, go far away. 

He doesn't need to speak to her any more, and he's not one of a couple, so she can stay away. Elizabeth is totally wrong that he needs to talk to that woman. He knows he has issues but who doesn't?

He has had so little time, and Katie is totally a worrier and he feels bad about the life threatening danger, but it's not just him. Generally it all of Atlantis, so she's in as much danger, just less useful during it. 

Which isn't to say she isn't useful other times. Or interesting. Or smart. She is really good with plants. 

Zelenka sex is still a thing. It's totally a stress relief thing, and a not having time to do dates thing. 

Zelenka knows as well, about the whole dating Katie thing, and he's totally good with it because they are just sex. 

The long dry spell after Zelenka found out was just because they hadn't had a chance to sex that wouldn't have raised red flags in Sheppard's head. 

That was totally the reason. 

-

Jeannie was smiling at him in that infuriating way that just screamed 'you just did something so cute and you don't even know you did it'. That look had taken his already traumatic childhood to a whole other level of awful. 

Teenage boys totally didn't need their younger sisters publicly announcing their attraction to people. Especially not when you were a teenage boy at college. He'd been weird, and a threat, just for his age, and any respect he'd had from his so called peers had been grudging. 

And of course her looking at him like that just brought it all back didn't it?

“What?” 

Jeannie smiled and shrugged, “Nothing.”

“Oh no, don't you nothing me. This whole time we've been working we've been at each others throats but now, now you're smiling at me. You only smile like that when it's something non-science related, and I am not going to sit here and take it.” He took a breath, glaring when she only smirked at him. “Jeannie.”

She rolled her eyes, “Meredith.”

He growled pointing, “Stop. That.”

“It's your name. It should be in your file, but all these people are completely aware. It is my job, as your sister, to change that.”

“I hate you.” Rodney stood, turning away set on storming out until his brain caught up with his emotions and his shoulders slumped. “Now that is just unfair.”

Jeannie smiled, and it was softer and oh so patronising. “So easy.”

“What was the smile for?” He asked, still facing the door. She's always won, when it comes to this stuff, and it's just, the most frustrating thing about their relationship. 

“Dr Zelenka.” 

Rodney frowned, hesitating for a moment before he turned, “You're smiling because of a man you have never met, who I only mentioned. You're smiling.”

“You trust him, to mostly not mess up.” Jeannie's eyebrows raised and that smile made a repeat appearance.

“You have got to be kidding me? How can you read that from me giving work to the only guy who can do it?” Rodney flailed his arms, “He is literally the only one even vaguely capable of doing the work in my absence. We need it done before we get there, to not waste time. And you're reading something into that?”

“Meredith, I know you. There's something there,” Jeannie frowned up at him, chewing on her bottom lip for a moment, “Like, that whole, there was once tension with Colonel Carter thing. I see it. You don't have to respond to that, just, I see it and it's a good look.” She shrugged, leaning forward to snag a tablet from the table. 

“And that's it? You're done.” This was a total nightmare.

“Yup. Now, there's one thing I'm not sure about, in this bit,” She waved the tablet, drawing him in and offering the only distraction that ever worked. 

But he knew she wasn't done.

-

And apparently not being done meant that she had, at some point, spoken to Radek.

And she was encouraging him. And being nice. 

This was so totally not ok. 

His sister, and his just sex, co worker, were talking. They were even getting along and being nice to each other. And making snide comments about him, and ganging up on him over since. 

Nightmare.

And all he could do was try to sleep while they waited to see if all the work, if introducing his sister to Radek, was worth it. 

He is totally going back to no contact with her if this doesn't work. 

And Radek can find someone else for sex.

And Rodney is totally fine with that. 

He is going to sleep and then he will see how brilliant he has been, again, and he'll find a way to divert Jeannie from Radek. There's Katie. He can introduce her to Katie if this goes well.

If not, it totally doesn't matter. His sister will go home and it will all be over with. 

-

“Whatever stories, whatever things my sister told you,” Rodney waved a hand between him and Radek, shaking his head, “please don't tell me. It is bad enough I have to know that my team knows far too much about teenage me.”

“I was going to say, your sister was a pleasure to work with.” Radek shrugged, “However, she did not tell me such tales, so I am a little disappointed.”

“Of course you are.”

Radek hesitated for a moment, hovering beside Rodney, tablet clutched against his chest, “Rod was very different from you, it was very strange.” 

“Wha....okay?” Rodney frowned, edging away from the other man, “So you're not, weren't, part of the Rod fan club.”

Radek sighed, shifting his weight and muttering under his breath in czech for a moment before he squared his shoulders and faced Rodney head on, “I know, we do not talk, about what we do, but, I wish to talk. It is time that we talk about it.”

“I, really don't think that's necessary.” Rodney eyed the doorway, he could maybe make it and not embarrass himself by actually having to flee. 

“Rodney.” 

He froze, meeting Radek's gaze, surprised by the emotion he could hear in that one utterance of his name. It was a little too romance novel, but, it was Radek. “Zelenka look, it's fun but...”

Radek waved his hands, “No. You do not understand, the whole time 'Rod' was here, I looked at him and I thought 'this is not my Rodney'. It was more than just the jacket and, the politeness. I had no interest in him. No.....passion.” Radek shrugged, “There was no tension. Yes we saved his world, and it was like every time we have pushed the boundaries and found a way to fix what is wrong, but I was not tempted by him.”

Totally blind-sided.“Zel...Radek, I don't know...”

“I want to wake to you in my bed. What we do, it is fun, it is release, but it can be more.” 

“I'm sorry Radek, but Katie....”

“Is an excuse. Your sister saw something, in how you spoke of me, she said, as I suspected, that it was not there when you spoke of Katie. She is safe, she is what you think you should have, but there is no passion.” Radek stepped closer, not letting Rodney look away.

Rodney faltered, this was too intense, but, maybe, there was some truth in that? Maybe he had more reason to be glad that he never said anything about Radek while Cadman was in his head. The woman would have been insufferable, but so totally out of her league. He didn't need to know about women. 

Rodney smiled, drawing a reactionary frown from Radek, “Rodney...what...”

Rodney shook his head, “Don't speak, just come with me...”

-

The bed is finally warm enough. 

It's been a thing, since even before Atlantis. His bed is never warm enough.

Radek makes it warm enough, though it's a little bit of a tight squeeze. There's even a boney elbow pressing against his bladder. But it's totally okay, for a little while, then he'll have to move. 

It tickles, a little, the hot breath on his chest, stirring his hair, but it's reassuring. It's the thing that's been missing. 

It's time to be honest, to himself, and think up a reply to Radek's declaration, other than more sex. He's done that. 

He loves Radek. There, he thought it, one day he might say it. To Radek. But for now, he's going to just work on making it more than sex. 

Obviously, publicly dating isn't an easy thing for them to do, but they've managed the sex thing with no one noticing. Though that might have more to do with memorising Lorne's schedules than actual subtlety, but that is not relevant. 

They can date, have meetings, but lunch meetings, just the two of them. It can work. 

And just maybe, one day soon, he'll admit, really admit, not the vague 'I like you more than just sex' confession he'll give when Radek wakes, how he feels. Or knowing himself, he'll yell it during sex, because he is that person. 

Totally that person.


End file.
